Groepsportret (klassefoto) van klas V B van de HBS voor meisjes aan de Keizersgracht te Amsterdam 1905 - 1907

This group portrait of class VB from the HBS for girls on the Keizersgracht in Amsterdam was created by Friedrich Carel Hisgen. I think of photography as painting with light and time and it can be used to fix an instant, or open up a window onto the past. I imagine Friedrich, with his bulky camera, trying to wrangle these young women into position. You can sense a mix of awkwardness and anticipation in their faces; who are they trying to be for the camera? What was it like to be a young woman at that time, with limited possibilities and constrained social roles? I wonder about their dreams and aspirations, captured here in grayscale. And now these women are inspiring new conversations across time. Each viewer brings their own experiences to the act of viewing. It’s a collaborative process, between the photographer, his subjects, and us.